At the very last minute, 200 nations agreed to extend the Kyoto Protocol to 2020 while a successor to the legally binding agreement on curbing greenhouse gas emissions is re-worded by 2015. While many attendants of the UN climate talks in Doha believed the meeting to be a colossal failure, the addition of a Loss and Damage clause calling for developed nations to stockpile up to $10 billion per year up to 2020 is seen by some as a watershed moment for climate talks.

]]>http://inhabitat.com/kyoto-protocol-extended-to-2020/feed/0COP18 Climate Change Conference in Doha Ends in Colossal Failurehttp://inhabitat.com/cop18-ends-in-colossal-failure/
http://inhabitat.com/cop18-ends-in-colossal-failure/#commentsFri, 07 Dec 2012 22:33:46 +0000http://inhabitat.com/?p=465346The 18th Conference of the Parties or COP18 ends today in colossal failure. Not only have the negotiations failed to produce any meaningful emissions cuts, but 'Hot Air' permits that allow countries like Poland and Russia to maintain their heavy industries]]>

The 18th Conference of the Parties or COP18 ends today in colossal failure. Not only have the negotiations failed to produce any meaningful emissions cuts, but ‘Hot Air’ permits that allow countries like Poland and Russia to maintain their heavy industries may even result in more emissions. Talks have stalled for a host of reasons, though most developing nations blame rich countries like the United States, Canada and Japan for refusing to sign an interim successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol that would bind them to emissions reductions.

]]>http://inhabitat.com/cop18-ends-in-colossal-failure/feed/0COP18: Climate Change Protest March Takes to the Streets Of Dohahttp://inhabitat.com/cop18-climate-change-protest-march-is-held-on-the-streets-of-doha/
http://inhabitat.com/cop18-climate-change-protest-march-is-held-on-the-streets-of-doha/#commentsTue, 04 Dec 2012 15:41:19 +0000http://inhabitat.com/?p=463934There is a lot hanging on the 18th session of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change currently being held in Doha, Qatar, but with many in the media predicting another Copenhagen, some in the Emirate have taken to the street to]]>

There is a lot hanging on the 18th session of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change currently being held in Doha, Qatar, but with many in the media predicting another Copenhagen, some in the Emirate have taken to the street to make their feelings heard. On Saturday, over 800 people took part in a march for climate protection, believed to be the first demonstration of its kind to take place in Qatar.

]]>http://inhabitat.com/cop18-climate-change-protest-march-is-held-on-the-streets-of-doha/feed/0COP18: Rich Nations Must Compensate Poorer Ones for “Loss and Damage” Resulting From Climate Changehttp://inhabitat.com/rich-nations-must-compensate-poorer-ones-for-loss-and-damage-resulting-from-climate-change/
http://inhabitat.com/rich-nations-must-compensate-poorer-ones-for-loss-and-damage-resulting-from-climate-change/#commentsMon, 03 Dec 2012 13:15:36 +0000http://inhabitat.com/?p=463700The conversation at the COP18 climate change talks in Doha have taken on an urgency unseen in previous meetings, and this time the buzz is most heard among developing nations most likely to get burned by the effects of climate change. As more evidence pours]]>

The conversation at the COP18 climate change talks in Doha have taken on an urgency unseen in previous meetings, and this time the buzz is most heard among developing nations most likely to get burned by the effects of climate change. As more evidence pours in showing that global temperatures could rise by more than double the two degrees Celsius recommended by scientists and sea levels are rising faster than previously thought, the emphasis has switched from preventing climate change to coping with it. This sentiment is strongest among developing nations that are poorly equipped to handle the loss and damages that they are already experiencing and they are looking to rich nations – the polluters – to take responsibility.

]]>http://inhabitat.com/rich-nations-must-compensate-poorer-ones-for-loss-and-damage-resulting-from-climate-change/feed/0Arctic Ice Larger than the US Melted in 2012 but Delegates Can’t Reach Emissions Agreement at Dohahttp://inhabitat.com/arctic-ice-larger-than-the-us-melted-in-2012-but-delegates-cant-reach-emissions-agreement-at-doha/
http://inhabitat.com/arctic-ice-larger-than-the-us-melted-in-2012-but-delegates-cant-reach-emissions-agreement-at-doha/#commentsThu, 29 Nov 2012 22:23:03 +0000http://inhabitat.com/?p=463026From March to September this year a staggering 4.47 million square miles of Arctic ice melted - that's an area bigger than the United States. The U.N. World Meteorological Organization said this Arctic ice melt is one of the most extreme and record-breaking]]>

]]>http://inhabitat.com/arctic-ice-larger-than-the-us-melted-in-2012-but-delegates-cant-reach-emissions-agreement-at-doha/feed/1COP18: U.S. Cites Fracking as Effective Contribution to Emissions Cutshttp://inhabitat.com/cop18-u-s-cites-fracking-as-effective-contribution-to-emissions-cuts/
http://inhabitat.com/cop18-u-s-cites-fracking-as-effective-contribution-to-emissions-cuts/#commentsTue, 27 Nov 2012 13:10:43 +0000http://inhabitat.com/?p=461790Wyoming Gas Drill Photo by Shutterstock
A spokesperson for the United States at the 18th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Doha, Qatar cited the country's investments in "fracking" as its contribution to the global goal of cutting greenhouse gas]]>Wyoming Gas Drill Photo by Shutterstock

A spokesperson for the United States at the 18th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in Doha, Qatar cited the country’s investments in “fracking” as its contribution to the global goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Long vilified for failing to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which it initially signed, the U.S. was the biggest spewer of greenhouse gas emissions for many years until China took the lead. This is due in part to a widespread program to replace coal plants throughout the U.S. with shale gas, the extraction of which comes with its own environmental price.